What is ERP and How Will it Help Your Business?

Let’s face it, no matter what size manufacturer or distributor you are, every business needs a method of organization in order for it to be profitable and effective. But, even knowing this, many small- and medium-size businesses aren’t quite sure what they need or even where to start looking. At a recent event, I was surprised at how many mid-market manufacturers and distributors didn’t know ERP even existed, or that there was a more efficient method available to them beyond Excel Spreadsheets.

So, what IS ERP? ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning Software, is business software that integrates and runs all aspects of your business – everything from traceability of raw materials, management and optimization of inventory, production planning and scheduling, to financial controls and even customer relationship management. An ERP system, like SYSPRO, enables businesses to identify waste, eliminate inefficiencies, improve customer relations and facilitate real-time collaboration.

How does it help my business? ERP systems enable businesses to have greater insight and visibility into their supply chain operations. Access to this key information allows them to make critical business decisions and to maintain a competitive edge in their industry, no matter how big or small the competition may be. An ERP system 360° visibility into operations, so problems are more easily identified and employees can make informed decisions. Financial data is always current thanks to real-time integration between financial, distribution and manufacturing solutions.

ERP systems can help businesses become more time efficient and improve productivity by eliminating duplication and manual entry. One SYSPRO customer, Annabelle Candy, migrated their business from Excel Spreadsheets to SYSPRO software and saw immediate results. “We were expanding, adding more locations and were keeping track of our entire business by hand on spreadsheets, which was working against us. We needed to computerize and get something more in line of organized accounting and integrated business control. We found SYSPRO, which was user friendly for beginners, and brought everything Annabelle needed into one package,” remembers Shelley Craft, Annabelle’s Vice President of Finance.

A less obvious, although critical benefit for ERP customers is that ERP vendors can maintain close ties to the industries they serve, and respond quickly to the emerging needs of their customers. This provides the customer with the long-term assurance that as their mid-market businesses continue to grow, their ERP systems will grow with them to in response to future needs.

A mobile solution, like SYSPRO Espresso can be leveraged by employees who need access to real-time data while out of the office. SYSPRO Espresso is device agnostic and gives executives the ability to access SYSPRO ERP and still effectively run their business even though they’re away from their desk.

Knowing the full benefits that an ERP system can have for your business is the first step to cutting costs and improving ROI. Narrowing down vendors, selecting the right software and properly implementing it are the next steps.

If you’d like an ERP expert to contact you and further discuss how SYSPRO ERP can streamline your business processes, you can contact us via our website, or on Twitter.

Erin Schlee is a Marketing Specialist at SYSPRO, USA. She joined SYSPRO in early 2011. Her responsibilities include social media management, and developing product-based messaging and collateral to highlight the value proposition of the SYSPRO product.
Prior to joining SYSPRO, Erin was based at Tesla Motors, in the capacity of Regional Marketing Coordinator. Here she gained valuable experience in high-tech marketing, which prepared her for the ERP Industry.
Outside of the SYSPRO community, Erin is a member of several organizations, including TechAmerica Orange County, the Technology Council of Southern California, and the British-American Business Council.

Comments (6)

Nice information. Role of ERP in digital transformations is commendable. ERP systems enable businesses to have greater insight and visibility into their supply chain operations which is a very helpful in increasing productivity.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is business process management software that allows an organization to use a system of integrated applications to manage the business and automate many back office functions related to technology, services and human resources.